renegadewolf

It's the freezing and thawing of the brain on an annual basis... that's my story, and I am sticking to it

MLBUM 7.05h If a fair fly ball is deflected in flight by a fielder and then goes out of play outside the foul lines the award is 2 bases from the time of pitch If a fair ball not in flight is deflected by a fielder and then goes out of play the award is 2 bases from the time of pitch If in the judgement of the umpire a fielder intentionally kicks or deflects a batted or thrown ball out of play, the award is 2 bases from the time the ball was kicked or deflected

MLBUM Rule 1.12 Catchers Mitt. The catcher may not substitute a fielders glove or a first basemans mitt for a catching mitt during the progress of the game or on any individual play. The catcher may use a catchers mitt with a vinyl flourescent piece attached. So if our catcher starts with a catchers mitt, that's what he wears for the game if I am reading this correctly. I would assume that the catcher could start the game wearing a smaller mitt and "move up" at some point but once he does there would be no going back

I have to admit, a pretty darn cool and inventive idea there. I'm not sure I am personally big on the idea of having another thing to try and concentrate on behind the plate. Perhaps as it is mentioned that the device functions wirelessly it may be more beneficial to have either a fan or his own coach use the device to let the catcher know what was called. This of course relies on the fact the plate umpire is making clear calls that an operator would be able to see and or hear, which can cause its own little issues as much as anything else. overall though, some serious props to the dad for coming up with something to help diminish his sons disability on the field.

In fairness, I had a great opportunity to try the dump the coach when you don"t know who it was method last weekend. After a big series of plays that involved a call with the second baseman being off the bag until he had control, on the 3rd out of that inning i hear a call from the defenses bench bencic "are you sure he wasn't off the bag there blue". Turned, faced the bench and said you are gone coach with appropriate mechanic. Worked like a charm. Not another peep from that bench for the rest of the game

If you have no idea what your partner called on a play, assume everything is live and let it play out. There will be opertunity to fix it afterwards. In your case here, as you weren't watching the play you are going to have to tell the coach you didn't see it. Just be sure to give him plenty of rope because he is going to be pissed and rightly so. This doesn't mean he has the right to be abusive but you messed up in this case and there is nothing worse than making an ejection because of something you did (or didn't do)

Cripes, they caught me wearing my red.... much shame.

Seems unfortunate that the only time anyone ever tries this when i am working is when time has been called.... I usually give em about 30 seconds before I tell the first baseman the pitcher has to have the ball and be on the rubber before I can put the ball back in play. They always seems so dissapointed

I may as well have been wearing nothing as a traditional mask for the first concussion, only wearing a helmet could have possibly prevented it. The pitched ball hit the dirt infront of and outside of the plate and with the spin on the ball when it bounced up it curved and smashed me in the base of the skull behind the ear. It was a complete and utter fluke. The second would have been serious had I not worn the harness loose. It was an inside pitch (batter croding the plate, catcher lined up inside, i had to go back and up to see anything)that was fouled straight back off a high 70s pitch that knocked the mask clean off my face (and the ball going over a 20+ft backstop landing 30-40 feet behind it) It wasn't so much a 2nd concussion as an exaserbation of the first one. I wear a bucket now and feel a whole lot more secure

I've been spelling it wrong all along..... i had it "huked awn fawinks werkd fer mee!" It's "wurkt"....geeez people ! Do you not know we spell certain words "funny" up here in Canada? Like color and colour for example.....

Having suffered 2 concussions this year myself, I know the anxiety of getting back behind the plate for the first time in weeks/months. The first half inning i was back in (was put in during the bottom of the 6th of a 7 inning game because my partner blwe him back out starting the chainsaw on a strike 3 during what was the 10th game of the weekend for him) was a little unnerving, but i quickly remembered i needed to focus on doing the job. The more I focused I remanined on having to call a ball or strike the less I focused on the ball hitting me

Say the acting HM hears the convo between the umpire and the VM. Could he theoretically do the BU a favor and protest the game himself according to 10-1-6 and 10-3-1? I could imagine he could, but I doubt many coaches would know that one (except Rich). ye gods.... thats all i am gonna say....lol

In my mind, a public display of displeasure with your partner is never acceptable on the field especially smacking him in the head a la larry curly and moe..... I told him exactly how pissed i was and that the ejection report was still going in and that the Ontario Baseball Association (the overseeing body) was going to be informed that he had allowed a coach that I had ejected to remain. I did all of that with a calm face, and a calm voice on the field and was damn sure he understood what I was saying. I left it alone for the rest of the game with him and followed through.

I was in from out of town asked by the assigner in the area. I've never worked with him before, nor will I again, though the chances of that happening are slim as he is from that town which is about an hour away. It was also a 2 umpire game

as things stand this year I will be hitting about 150 games, but with a season that begins in may many minor leagues ending in august and the mens in september or very early october I try to squeeze in as many games as I can during the time I have (no early spring, mid to late fall and certainly no winter ball here in the great white north). At the end I am always burned out and grateful there is no more ball for a while.

This might come off long winded, but here is what happens, and yes my friends, this IS a clusterF*#K....lol and a combination of what I saw as the base umpire and what my partner told me happened between 3rd and home and other information from the tourney director This morning I am calling a semifinal 14U Provincial championship game, relevant info is as follows: R1, R2, R3, 1 out. BR hits a short hopper to F6, who in turn underhand tosses the ball towrds F4 who is running toward 2B. The ball hits F4s chest and he bobbles the ball as he crosses over 2B, He gains control after having over run 2B fumbling and as he jumps and twists to throw to first i signal a safe call while turning to follow the ball goiong to first with just enough time to get set and call the out on a banger at first and by this time R3 is approaching the plate and stops because he believes there was a double play We have loud cheers, F3 rolls the ball towards the mound and all the fielders start to leave the field. It took me a moment to realize what was happening at which point I rather loudly and emphaticly made several safe mechanics while loudly saying "the runner at 2 was safe". During this time R2 has advanced to 3b and has rounded towards home and R3 having heard my call having just barely walked a few feet past the plate (without touching it) turns around and touches the plate. R2 had gotten "caught up" in the defenders leaving the field and returned to 3rd and R1 seeing that I had called him safe hadn't budged an inch off the bag at 2. As you can imagine, pretty much everyone (especially the fans who matter the least yet make the most noise) has an opinion on what should be happening here, and since we have managers coming off the bench (oddly no coaches or players) to start arguing, we pretty much have no choice but to be calling time. I ask the managers to give us a minute to get things figured out. we go up the third baseline away from everyone near the mound and figure out what we have. For my part I have BR out, R1 at 2 since R2 passed 3rd, i dropped him as by that time he was in my mind the PU responsibility (the ball is on the ground at the pitchers plate at this point and I am watching watching between R2 to see if he goes anywhere and if anyone is picking up the ball) PU informs me about the touch at home, we score the run, and that R2 had retreated to 3B, no obstruction. So there we have it, Runners on 2 and 3, 2 outs and a run scored and we place the runners and inform the coaches. HM starts to ask why I called safe at 2nd and I explained the fielder did not have control of the ball while on the base, and he then argues that I didn't make a call at 2nd (in fairness there was no verbalization but the mechanic was there) and the VM is arguing with my partner that R2 was obstructed and aught to have been awarded home After several minutes of arguement from coaches and successfully getting things calmed down a bit. DM had left the field before the OM had and has now apparently gone to the TD and told him he wanted to protest the game, no one bothered to tell myself or my partner. Finally my partners gives both benches a warning informing them that the discussion is over and that anyone continuing the conversation will be ejected (my words not his) and mysteriously the benches go quiet. Game finally contiunues. Batter his a grounder to F4 who makes a neat throw to first and I signal the out. Of course at this point I hear "Are you sure he wasn't off the bag there blue?" from the HM. Easy toss, but we can't have anything go on from this point without theatrics so he comes out acting all surprised he has been tossed wanting to know why and whatnot, finally my partner gets him off the field and Visiting team takes the field. I am at this point grabbing a bottle of water wedged in the backstop fence for us from the TD and VM comes walking over towards my partner and me. He says "I just have a question about something" and begins to ask about obstruction on the big mess from earlier. I just looked at hiom and said "you were warned coach, we were not discussing this anymore obstruction is a judgement call, you are gone" (No BOOM! this time... oh well). My partner then says, "oh, he was coming to talk to me, it's ok he's not ejected". I said "excuse me? I have equil authority to make an ejection, and you have no right to overturn an ejection" He replies with a "no, he's not ejected he can stay". At this point I have a few choices, I walk off the field (and likely end up getting myself blacklisted in the process for abandoning a provicial semifinal right or wrong) or I bench both teams and turn this disagreement into a very public fight between the umpires for all to see with likely simmilar results to above. I can continually pester the coach every time between plays that he has been ejected and needs to leave or do nothing. I ended up choosing a mix of the last 2 pestering him at each half inning (he was tossed at the start of 6) that he had been ejected and needs to leave, to no avail. In the end HT wins, the protest is rejected (it was a judgement call, and umpires were not informed of protest) and 2 ejection reports were filed with Ontario Baseball included in the report was my partner over turning the ejection.

And that's not to say I don't believe that I am a good umpire, because I do believe I am pretty good, but as has been pointed out in other discussions in other places, the difference between the pros and the rest of us is that they know where to go, what to do every time. I was watching a couple level 4 umpires (One who is considered one of the better umpires in all of Canada, and another who is highly sought after for high level tournaments) last night. Level 4's are umpires who are qualified through experience, training and evaluations to call national level ball games. Watching them I noticed the fluidity and consistancy of thier movements, positioning, mechanics, how they were always in the right place to make the call, the certainty with which they make the calls, it was a pleasure to watch. I am not that good, i will add (hopefully) yet. I am ambitious and given the opertunity I would likely bite off more than I can chew, but even that has limits. My aim is to get there wether or not it is achieved, but it remains I am not and in the biggest spotlight in baseball, i humbly accept my place outside

I can honestly say were a chance to come up to call in the MLB no way would I take it. Not because I care for unions (I don't) but because plain and simple no matter what I think about how good i may or may not be the fact is I am not at the calibre that the bigs require. No way would I go out there and make a fool of myself that badly. It's easy to sit back and play armchair umpire watching from the stands and on the TV and complain and criticize, But I insist I could not call a game near the level the pros do, and I refuse to make a mockery of this game.

I have to admit, 2 strikes on one pitch.... Nasty penalty. Wacky FED rules, reminds me of those real old Bugs Bunny Cartoons wherethe pitcher throws the ball, it stops, goes back and forth and the batter tkaes multiple swings striking out on one pitch....

I think an ejection is a tad harsh, perhaps each team gets one or two shoe ties a game then after that it is an automatic out for unnecessarily delaying the game. Should speed things up some. Though in all fairness one coach (whom i dearly love for this) would bench a kid if he asked for time to tie his shoes while he is a runner. Oddly only ever saw one kid ask for time to tie his shoe

During any breaks in the action between games, take the time to fraternize with your fellow umpires while hydrating/eating/getting under shade. Useful information as well as straight up entertainment is available and a good laugh can help you mentally shake a not so hot previous game. Seems most umpires are story tellers of one variety or another and the stories they have can be both educational and humerous. Nothing like sharing those odd plays, wierd moments and absurd tosses we've had over the years. Having fun is an important part of the experience.

He gets no break from me for being a coward and throwing bombs from the bench. Fair enough, however In my report is it going to say "Someone on the bench said 'It's always the same with you, you never get it right' so I ejected the coach"? I can see any of the 4 associations i work for having a hard time backing that one up, thus the need to identify the culprit in my books

Thank you for the clarification.

Found the rule I was looking for.... 4.06 (a) No manager, player, substitute, coach, trainer or batboy shall at any time, whether from the bench, the coach’s box or on the playing field, or elsewhere— (3) Call “Time,†or employ any other word or phrase or commit any act while the ball is alive and in play for the obvious purpose of trying to make the pitcher commit a balk. The only difficulty I have in applying this rule is that the batter was not trying to make the pitcher balk, he was legitimately in a normal voice asking for time. Any further input?

I have a pitcher that took a while to come to set, but got there and then the batter requests time more or less as the pitcher is starting the pitch . By all appearances the pitcher seems to think time has been called and stops. This league uses OBR and while 8.05 I'd clear about a pitcher starting and failing to deliver, however since I was not the one who called time and clearly the pitcher seemed to think it was me (I don't have rules handy I am at work) if I recall correctly there is a rule about coaches and possibly players using words like time to confuse the defense. Long question short, do I have a balk or nothing? For the record I've been calling it nothing. I just want to know if I am correct in this.